Near's Past
by countrypanther14
Summary: When Matt, Mello, and Near get into a car accident; Near slips into a coma, and while L and the others wait for him to wake up, Near goes back through his memories. Read and Review, I own nothing. Rated just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, first Death Note fanfic. R&R. And bear with me please.**

* * *

"Cotton ball." Mello said, shoving Near in the backseat of the car.

"I'm not even going to comeback to that." Near said, twirling his hair between his fingers.

"Why? Scared?" Mello teased.

Near looked away and continued to twirl his hair around his fingers, his free hand on a toy robot that was next to him.

Mello looked at Near from the rear view mirror in Matt's car; he was paler than usual, and he actually looked like he was going to be sick. "Hey, take it easy." he said, "I was just kidding."

Near hugged his knees closer to his chest, by then Matt had noticed Near as well.

"You okay?" he asked, "You don't look too good."

"I just want to get home." he said. "I...I don't feel right."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked. "Do you feel like you're going to be sick?"

"No," Near said, looking down at his feet. "But-"

"Matt! Look out!" Mello yelled.

Matt hit the brakes of his car and swerved to avoid an oncoming car. Only to hit it head on and flip three times before smashing into a tree.

* * *

Everything felt fuzzy as Mello opened his eyes; he looked around and found himself upside down in the car, pain shooting through his body and blood running down his face. "Matt," he groaned. "I'm going to kill you." he looked over at Matt, finding him and Near unconscious. "Matt," he said. "Wake up."

Matt groaned and opened his eyes, feeling blood drip down his face as he unbuckled his seat belt and climbed over Mello to get out of the car, that was actually on its side. "You guys okay?" he asked.

"No thanks to you." Mello said. He untangled himself from the seat belts and climbed out before getting an unconscious Near out of the back. "Near," he said. "Come on Near, wake up."

The bruised and bloody albino child opened his eyes and coughed, feeling this agonizing pain shoot through his chest and back.

"Oh my God." Matt gasped. "Mello, look at him."

Mello and Near looked down to see blood staining Near's white pajama shirt, and feeling several sharp, jagged bumps under it. "Oh God." Mello whispered. "Near, just stay still alright, you're going to be okay."

Near started to cough again, and rolled onto his side; he revealed a large shard of glass in his back, making him cough up blood as Matt ran to a tree and threw up.

"We have to get him out of here." he coughed. "He's losing too much blood."

"No!" Mello gasped, "Then L will never make me his successor."

"What's more important? Us getting Near to a hospital, or L not making you his successor?" Matt asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket calling an ambulance.

Mello huffed and looked back down at Near; he was losing blood, and at an extremely fast rate. "Matt, give me your shirt." he said. "We need something to stop the bleeding."

* * *

**What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter to Near's Past. As usual, I own nothing; but I own an OC that appears in this chapter. R&R.**

* * *

"Out of the way!" a paramedic shouted, pushing a gurney down the hall. "Watch out!"

"You two have to stay out here." a nurse said, holding back the two older boys as they tried to follow the gurney. "We'll do everything we can to help your brother."

Matt's shoulders sagged as Mello put a hand on one of them. "Which one of us is going to tell L what happened?" he asked.

"I think it's best that he doesn't find out." Mello said.

Matt sighed and sat down, not even bothering to pull out his gaming devices. "I just feel so responsible, I was the one driving." he said.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself." Mello said. "These things happen. And neither of us could see this coming."

"Whatever," Matt sulked. "I'm going out for a smoke."

* * *

"Lets get the tube place." one of the doctors said. He waited for the nurses to prep the child and inserted the chest tube, removing fluid and blood from his lungs; only for the heart monitor to let out a loud screech.

"He's crashing." a nurse said.

"Give me the paddles!" another doctor said. He shocked the body on the table with the paddles and looked back at the monitor, still hearing a long beep.

"Charging 360." a nurse said.

"Clear!" the doctor shouted. He shocked the body again, looking up at the monitor to see a weak heartbeat start back up; letting all of them breathe a sigh of relief. "Let's get him prepped for the O.R. to fix his ribs." the doctor breathed.

* * *

Matt stood up on the roof with a cigarette in his mouth, exhaling puffs of smoke as Mello joined him and bit into a chocolate bar. "Any news on Near?" he asked.

"No, they just took him into surgery now." Mello said. "But one of the nurses did clean and fix your shirt," he gave Matt the red and black striped shirt he always wore, "And she said to get back inside, Near wasn't the only one hurt."

Matt scoffed and put out his cigarette, carrying his shirt in one hand as he went inside and met up with a dark haired girl in the stairway.

"Are you the other one's brother?" she asked, "Because I was supposed to treat your wounds."

Matt stood there and stared at the girl, he was no older than he was, and she was a nurse. "Um, y-yeah." he said.

"Come with me then." she said. She lead him into an empty room and removed his vest, "I'll leave you to strip your pants," she said. "You can leave your boxers on."

He obeyed the girl and left his black and red striped boxers,

"I can see what inspired you to wear your shirt." the nurse said, examining his back.

_Why did I pick these?_ he thought. _Who k__nows what will happen if-_ he felt all his blood rush south, forcing him to delete all dirty images from his mind before she could see his...'little' problem.

"Okay, just hold still." the nurse said, breaking him from his thoughts. She proceeded to pull a piece of glass from the middle of his back and cleaned the wound. "Oh, and nice try hiding that boner you had a few minutes ago." she said.

Matt felt all the blood that went south, rush up to his cheeks as she taped a gauze pad to the wound on his back and looked at his shoulders.

"Other than a few bruises, and a cracked rib; looks like the glass was the only major injury." she said. "You can put your clothes back on."

He obeyed the command and put all of his clothes back on, "Sorry for wasting your time." he said. "I know you must have other patients."

"Yeah, but I don't mind. Besides, half of my patients don't even talk to me; and they're the ones that aren't in a coma."

"So this can be kinda lonely sometimes?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I have my video games." she said.

Matt looked at the girl with a face of disbelief, "You play video games too?" he asked. "What kind?"

"Basically Mario, Pokemon; anything I can play on my gameboy or DS really." she said, pulling out a chocolate bar and biting into it. She walked past him and into the hallway, leaving him dumbstruck in the middle of the room.

* * *

_"Nate."_ a female voice. _"Nate, honey it's time to get up."_

Near opened his eyes and saw a woman with the same hair and eyes as his, "M-Mom?"

* * *

**That's it for chapter 2, sorry for the cliffhanger ending. R&R**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter, as usual R&R.  
**

* * *

"Mom?" Near said.

_"It's me Nate."_ the woman said. _"I'm okay."_

Near felt a smile grow across his face as he ran into his mom's open arms. "Mommy." he cried.

_"I'm here." _the woman whispered_. "My little lamb."_

"I've missed you." Near whimpered.

_"Me too Nate."_ his mom whispered. _"But we have to go." _she pulled Near along beside her as something growled.

* * *

Matt and Mello watched as the younger nurse switched around paperwork and sneaked bites of the chocolate bar she had.

"Why did you get the hot nurse?" Mello asked. "I got the old lady."

"Hell if I know." Matt said. "But I call dibs."

"Only if Hell freezes over." Mello said. "She's mine. Any girl who's hot and eats chocolate is good enough for me."

"She likes to play video games more." Matt said. "Now shut up, here she comes." they watched as the nurse got up and walked up the stairway to the roof.

"What the Hell is she doing?" Mello asked. They followed the nurse up to the roof, and found her looking at a photograph and pulling out a cigarette, putting it in her mouth and searching her pockets.

"I know you boys are there." she said. "You can't hide."

Matt followed Mello out as they approached the girl and joined her.

"Any of you two got a light?" she asked.

Matt pulled his cigarette lighter out of his pocket and gave it to her, watching as she lit her cigarette and took a drag from it.

"Thanks." she said, giving Matt his lighter back. She looked down at the photograph in her hand as she flicked away some of the cigarette ash.

"What's that a picture of anyway?" Mello asked.

"Me and my little brother." she said, showing the picture to them. "I've been looking for him for at least eleven years. But the picture was taken when we were younger."

Mello looked at the picture, and surely enough, the girl wasn't older than three; her long dark hair in pigtails and her gray eyes were shining because of the flash on the camera. Her brother was just an infant, and didn't smile; he looked freaked out that he was getting his picture taken. He was surprised that she would be looking for her brother, especially for eleven years. But something was familiar about her brother, and the picture entirely:

There was a statue in the background that looked familiar, and her brother had a tuft of white hair on his head.

_Oh my God. _he thought. He recognized that statue, it was a statue of a tree; the same tree that was hung on the Christmas tree during the holidays at Wammy's house. And that tuft of white hair on her brother, Near...this was Near's older sister. "Um..." he said as she pulled out a chocolate bar. "What was your name again?"

"Amelia May Rivers." she said. "My little brother's name was Nate."

"Then, we might have some bad news." Matt said. "He was with us in the accident."

"What?" Amelia growled.

"Ne-Nate was with us. And he took most of the blow, but he was in the backseat." he continued. "We're sorry."

"You mean to tell me that my brother is dying?" she asked, grabbing Matt by the front of his vest and lifting him off the ground. "Answer me."

"Is it weird that this turns me on?" Mello asked.

"You're not helping." Matt said.

* * *

"Where are we going mom?" Near asked.

_"Where do you think? Back to day you were born."_ his mom said. She guided him into a hospital and he watched as his mom held him and his sister tried to look at him.

"He looks squishy." his sister said.

_"She never stopped looking for you. Your sister. For eleven years, she's searched for you."_ his mom said.

"Omi." Near whispered.

* * *

"Well, at least she didn't throw you off the roof like she said she would." Mello said as he gave Matt an icepack for his eye after Amelia had hit him.

"She's stronger than she looks." Matt said. "I think she broke my nose."

"Mail, Mihael." Amelia said, walking over to them.

"Isn't one beating enough?" Matt asked. "Hit Mello, you'll have fresh meat."

"I just hope you two are happy. Nate's in a coma." she said. "God, eleven years and I finally find him. Only to lose him again; I swear, this is worse than him just dying." she wiped her eyes as she walked away to get back to work.

"Matt," Mello said. "Call L."

* * *

L looked up at the computer screen with a lollipop in his mouth, his hand waiting to answer his phone. Roger had already called him and Watari saying that Mello, Matt, and Near didn't come home. When his phone rang, he answered it and was glad to hear Matt's voice, just so he knew he was okay. "What happened?" he asked. "Roger got worried when you three didn't come home."

"Um..." Matt hesitated. "Don't get mad. But, I kinda crashed my car and Near got hurt pretty bad. We're in the hospital now, and he's in a coma."

L didn't even realize he had dropped his phone until Watari picked it up and gave it to him. "What the Hell were you thinking?" L yelled into the phone. "What happened?"

"Near looked like he was going to be sick, and when I asked him if he was okay, I took my eyes off the road for a second; and I hit another car."

L growled and started chewing on his thumb, "Where are you?" he asked.

"New Jersey. Mello wanted to see if the Jersey Devil was real." Matt said.

"I'll be there by tomorrow at best." L said. "Call me if anything changes." he hung up and told Watari to arrange for the next flight to New Jersey. _Matt is so going to get it. _he thought, drawing blood from his thumb.

* * *

**R&R please. *Smiles nervously***


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's another chapter. R&R.**

* * *

Matt watched through a viewing window that was cut into the wall as Amelia held onto Near's hand; he never thought he would feel so empty, or that his chest would hurt so bad for some reason

"Any changes on Nears condition?" L said as he came up beside him.

"No," he coughed. "Nothing."

"Are you okay?" L asked. "You look paler than me and Near."

"I feel so responsible. I took my eyes off the road because he looked like he was gonna be sick, and then-" he couldn't even finish his sentence before breaking into a coughing fit, tears rolling down his face.

"Try to breathe." L said. "And give me your cigarettes. If your having chest pains, I don't want you to end up the way Near is now."

Matt looked at L and kept stifling his coughs as he gave him the cigarettes.

* * *

Near followed his mom a little farther in his mind, and came upon an old house.

_"You remember this place." _his mom said. _"Don't you?"_

"I think so." Near said. "This is the house we used to live in when I was little."

_"Yes. But why do you think I brought you here?"_ she asked, her voice becoming hoarse.

"B-Because this is the day where I saw you die." he said. "I watched you kill yourself, and Dad blamed it on me." He almost immediately held his arm to his side. "Mom, I don't want to go back there. I don't-" he felt his breath catch in his throat as his father picked him up and threw him, Amelia telling him to stop.

_"Get rid of him."_ their father yelled. _"Look at what he did to your mother."_

"Matt! Mello! L! Someone wake me up! Please!" he yelled.

* * *

A week went by since Near went into a coma, then two weeks; then a month, and Near's condition didn't change.

"You have to wake up Near." Amelia whispered. "Please." She kissed his forehead and gently stroked his cheek, not noticing a slight twitch in Near's hand.

* * *

The rain was pouring down hard as Near watched Amelia put him on the front doorstep of Wammy's.

_"Just remember Nate: Daddy loves you, and so did mommy." _she whispered. _"I love you too; Omi loves you." _she kissed his forehead and ran back to the car as Roger opened the door.

* * *

Matt watched Amelia from the doorway as she clung to her brother, feeling tears roll down his face as he took off his goggles and held them until Amelia left, that's when he put them around Near's head, "I'm sorry Near." he said. "I know it's my fault that this happened. I wasn't paying attention."

"Hey, you did a good thing by bringing him here." Mello said, making Matt jump. "The doctor treating him said that he had a severe case of pneumonia, and he had fluid build up in his lungs. If we waited any longer to bring him, he would've died for sure."

"Well, that's a plus." Matt said sadly. "But I still caused that accident."

"No, you accidentally flipped the car." Mello said.

"You're not helping." Matt snapped. They both chuckled as Near twitched a little bit.

* * *

**I'm slowly coming up with more material. R&R**


	5. Chapter 5

**Next chapter, R&R.**

* * *

"How's Near doing?" L asked as Matt helped a sleeping Mello out of Near's room.

"He's twitching a little bit, but the doctors are saying it's involuntary." he said. "And would you mind? Mello's kinda heavy."

L chuckled a little bit and helped Matt drag Mello to the car so Watari could take him back to the hotel they were staying at. "It's a shame this had to happen." he said. "I still remember when Near first came to Whammy's."

"What happened?" Matt asked. "It's been years, and I have nothing better to do."

"From what I can remember." the panda eyed detective said as rain started pouring outside. "It was a night like this actually..."

* * *

"Look what I found." Mr. Whammy said as he carried in the albino toddler. "Found him on the front step, couldn't leave him there."

"I thought I heard a car out there." a pale teen said, pressing his thumb to his lips. "So does this little kid have a name? Or do we have to give him one?"

"What I'd like to know is why you're still up L." Roger said. "How can you work if you don't sleep."

"He's right." a woman in with gray hair said. "It's improper of you Elliot."

"It's not Elliot." L snapped. "It's just L, as in the letter."

"Ellie." Near said, making the two adults laugh.

"Oh ha ha." L said sarcastically. He took the albino child into his arms as Near bit him.

"Oh that is just improper of the child." the woman gasped, her British accent heavy in her voice.

"It's normal for a toddler Miss Ray." L said, pulling his hand from Near's mouth. "He's still teething." he gave the toddler a pair of plastic keys and watched as he chewed on them. "See, all better."

* * *

"That really happened?" Matt asked, his eyes curious. "I remember Miss Ray. But Near didn't show up until after Mello and I did."

"Exactly, you two were asleep when this happened." L said.

"Wait a minute. The tree statue at Whammy's how did it get there if Near was still a toddler when he arrived?" Mello asked, he and Watari sitting down beside Matt.

"Hey, you've seen Near hide stuff in his shirt before." L said. "He probably grabbed it thinking it was a toy."

"One of many." Mello said. "Because now that you mention it, I remember when I picked Near up at one point and a whole bunch of toys fell out of his shirt."

"Aw yes." Matt chuckled. "The great toy caper. Roger and Mr. Whammy told Near to steal all the toys so we could test out our deductive skills."

"Solved that by accident." Mello chuckled.

* * *

"You have to wake up Nate." Amelia said. "I know you can hear me." She gently stroked Near's white curls and kissed his forehead. "You remember me don't you? It's me, Omi. I'm your older sister."

"Why do you even bother waiting for him to wake up?" a voice asked.

Amelia gripped Near's hand a little tighter and bit on her bottom lip, "Dad, I've been looking for him since you forced me to leave him." she said, her voice tight with anger. "I've searched for him for eleven years. And the last thing I need is for him to die."

"He's a useless vegetable." her father said. "And I'm taking him off life support."

"You can't do that!" Amelia yelled, letting go of Near's hand and running to her father. "You can't. It's not his fault that mom committed suicide, you refused to let her get help."

"Are you saying it's my fault that your mother died?" her father asked.

"No, but it's not Nate's fault either." she said.

Her father sighed and ran a hand through his light brown hair, "I'm still taking him off life support." he said. "He's useless, and what good will he be if he keeps wasting my money."

Amelia gasped at her father and fell to her knees, sobbing as he left the room. "No," she sobbed. "No, I can't let this happen."

"What's wrong?" Matt asked. He pulled Amelia to her feet and held her as she cried into his shoulder, "Talk to me Amelia." he said. "What's wrong?"

"My father." she sobbed. "He wants to take Nate off of his life support, he's going to kill his own son. And for what? He never did anything, he was with you at Whammy's."

"Hey, look at me." he said, tilting her head so ocean blue eyes met green ones through pieces of auburn hair. "I'm not going to let that happen, and neither will Mello or L." He wiped away one of her tears and held her close to him as Near twitched again.

"Thank you Mail." she said.

"It's Matt." he said. "Just Matt."

Amelia looked at him and giggled, hugging him again as she felt another tear roll down her face. "Thank you..." she said again. "Matt."

* * *

**Stay tuned. R&R**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chapter, R&R.  
**

**Warning: Abuse, harsh words, etc. If I bring up memories you don't want to remember, I'm sorry.**

* * *

"What do you mean that he's going to kill Near?" Mello asked.**  
**

"Just what I said. He's going to take Near off life support and let him die." Matt said. "And don't start acting happy, because you know that without Near; you have no one to go against to be L's successor."

"I have plenty of people, even you." Mello asked.

"But none of them stood by your side, even in the worst of times." Matt said. "Remember when you passed out that one summer. He stuck by you the entire time so that you two can play."

"He always questions my gender." Mello said.

"In all honesty, you get hormonal for no reason." Matt said.

"In all honesty, I don't care." Mello snapped.

"Well, whether you like it or not; Near thinks of you as his brother, because even though you put him through Hell and back, you stuck by him. No matter how hard he tried to push you away." Matt said. "Mello, for God's sake, he doesn't even remember his sister; and you didn't even put him through as much Hell as Miss Ray."

Mello looked at Matt in shock as he shook. "Don't you ever remind me of that." he growled. "It's bad enough that Near hid it from all of us, especially until he almost died." he stormed off out into the pouring rain as Matt heaved a heavy sigh and sat down in a chair.

Matt didn't want to remember the time when Near almost died the first time. But he couldn't forget either, not with Near so close to dying again. He got up and visited Near again, sitting down next to his bed as he ruffled Near's white curls. "You have to wake up Near." he said. "We all need you to wake up. I know Mello won't admit it, but if anything ever happened to any of us at Whammy's, he'd kill the guy." he chuckled and wiped a tear away as he started to stifle another coughing fit. "You're like his brother Near, and mine too." he watched as Near twitched again and sobbed. "I'm sorry I put in here Near. If anything, I deserve to be in your situation. You were in the backseat for Christ's sake, your weren't supposed to be hurt the way you were; I can't believe I did this. It's all my fault." He took his hand from Near's hair and tugged at his own, crying as he heard someone come into the room.

* * *

"Mello, why are you standing out here in the pouring rain?" Watari asked as he walked up to the blonde boy.

"Near's father, he's going to have the hospital pull the plug on him." Mello sniffled. "I don't want it to happen, but I can't stop it."

"Near is like your brother, isn't he?" Watari asked.

"Yeah, Matt knows it too." Mello hiccuped. "We grew up in the same house; and although Mr. Whammy and Roger gave us a home and kept us fed, clothed, educated, and even tended to some of the other kids' wounds when I hit them. But to be honest, you never reassured any of us at Whammy's that we were okay if something made us cry. And-"

"I know," Watari said. "We met the physical needs of parenting with you kids, but only a select few chose to have an emotional bond with one kid in particular. Unlike all the others. Why do you think L trusts me all the time with a lot of things?"

Mello chuckled under his breath as Watari put his hat on his head so he wouldn't get wet any further. "I should probably get inside." he said.

* * *

L looked at Near, sitting in his usual position in the chair as he gave him a teddy bear that he bought from the gift shop. "I know you can hear me." he said, pressing a thumb to his lips. "Wake up." He stared down at Near as he twitched again, feeling a smile grow across his face. "What are you dreaming about?" he asked. "I know you have to be dreaming about something."

* * *

_"Come on Near,"_ an eight year old Mello said as he entered the playroom. _"It's playtime. Your favorite time of day."_

The six year old albino child looked up at the blonde in front of him, cautiously making his way into the playroom as Mello coaxed him.

_"Come on," _he said. He coaxed Near a little further into the playroom and watched as he played with some of the dice, stacking it up into towers as he looked around the room. _"What's wrong with you?" _he asked. _"I thought you liked to play?"_

Near looked up at Mello again and reached for a piece of paper, and a marker, writing something down before Miss Ray grabbed him and pulled him from the room.

Mello just watched as Near grew even more scared and looked back at the paper, reading what was written:

_She's killing me, inside and out._ it read.

_I'm scared about what she'll do next, and I'm so tired of all of it. Mello, help me, please._

_"Roger."_ he yelled, running from the playroom. _"Roger, where are you?"_

* * *

_"You're nothing but a freak of nature." _Miss Ray said as Near stayed curled in fetal position in the corner. _"I can see why your parents would leave you at our doorstep."_

Near looked up at Miss Ray with puppy eyes, apologizing for nothing. _"I'm sorry." _he sobbed. _"I didn't me_an _to do what I did."_

Matt stood in the hallway as he heard Near's pained screams, and watched as Miss Ray came out with blood dripping off her hand.

_"What are you looking at?" _she asked. _"Get back to class."_ she locked the door to her office behind her as Near tried to get out.

_"Near, just calm down."_ Matt said when he was sure that Miss Ray was out of earshot. _"It's okay, I'm going to get Roger and see if he has another key."  
_He ran down the hall and got Roger to unlock the door.

Near was covered in cuts and bruises, and he was unconscious on the floor.

_"That does it." _Roger said through gritted teeth.

* * *

Amelia looked at Near through the viewing window in the wall as Mello came up beside her. "I can't let this happen." she said. "I can't let my father kill my brother, the last thing I want is to lose him. I don't want to know I wasted eleven years of my life searching for a dead body."

"I don't think any of us are going to let that happen." Mello said. "Trust me."

"Move over Amelia." a voice said. "I have to do what has to be done."

"No." Amelia said, blocking the door. "I won't let you dad. He's your son."

"That body in there is not my son, I don't have a son." her father yelled. "What that is in there is a freak of nature. Wasting my money."

L and Matt watched from down the hall as this man tried to get into Near's room.

"Amelia May Rivers, you move out of the way of that room this instant." he said.

"No, I'm not moving." she said. "You're drunk again, you've always have been."

"Move over." he shouted, throwing her to the floor.

"Hey," Mello said, tapping the man on the shoulder. He punched Amelia and Near's father in the face, and pushed him to the floor; blood staining his knuckles as Matt helped Amelia up. "Why don't you do us all a favor and leave Near alone." he said. "You seem to forget that the day you left that sheep on the doorstep of Whammy's, you give up your ownership of him. So technically, it's L's call if we should pull the plug on Near; not yours."

"It appears that my daughter has you wrapped around finger." the man said, pulling a knife.

_Crap!_ Mello thought, reaching into his pockets. _I forgot about my gun._

"Excuse me sir." L said. He delivered a roundhouse kick to the man's jaw and knocked him unconscious. "I believe that's enough out of you."

* * *

**Wow...go L. R&R please.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's another chapter. R&R.**

* * *

_"This behavior is inexcusable Matilda."_ Mr. Whammy stated. _"Not only were you torturing Nate. But you scared all the other kids."_

_"You try teaching that...that thing how to behave." _Miss Ray hissed. _"All he ever does is play with himself, and frighten all the other kids."_

_"That gives you no right to almost kill him."_ Roger stated. _"Nor do you have any right to treat any of the other kids like that."_

_"So what?"_ Miss Ray asked. _"You're just going to let Nate run around, doing as he pleases? He needs to be disciplined for his actions."_

_"Yes, I agree." _Mr. Whammy said. _"But not by you."_

_"What are you saying?" _Miss Ray asked.

_"I already called the authorities."_ Mr. Whammy said. _"In a few minutes, you will be arrested. And when you get out, you better have a new job; because you're fired."_

Miss Ray stood in the middle of the room speechless, her features twisting up in pure rage. _"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"_ she yelled as Roger waved in the police man in the hallway. _"I've worked with and for you for twenty years. And this is how you repay me?!"_

* * *

Amelia sat next to Near once again, clinging to him before she started her night shift. "Wake up Nate." she whispered. "Please." She walked out of the room as Matt came in and took her spot.

"Hey Near." he said. "The docs are waiting for you to wake up. We all are." he watched as Near's eye twitched, and smiled slightly. "Hang in there Near." he said.

* * *

L panted as he ran down the busy halls of the hospital, trying to find Near's room. When he did, he found Near sitting up and playing with his action figures. _"Oh thank God." _he sighed. _"You had me scared." _He sat down beside Near and toyed with the pieces of hair that stuck out from the bandages that were around his head. _"How's your head feeling?" _

Near looked at L with the same puppy eyes he gave Miss Ray, and back at his action figure.

_"Hey, don't worry about it." _L said. _"Miss Ray will be going away for a long time._ _She won't hurt you ever again."_

Near continued to play with his action figure until L pulled a teddy bear out from behind his back. He accepted the bear and hugged L, feeling a tear roll down his face. _"Please stay." _he said, his voice breaking. _"I'm scared L." _

_"Okay."_ he said. _"Just for a little while."_

* * *

"I think it's time you consider quitting the smoking." Mello said as he heard Matt retch from within the bathroom of their hotel room.

"I'll have you know, I haven't smoked a cigarette in over a month. L has them and I don't know where he put them." Matt coughed.

"Then how do you explain the chest pains and constant puking?" Mello asked.

"How should I know?" Matt coughed before throwing up again.

"Well, how about after you're done puking, we go back to the hospital." Mello said. He heard the toilet flush and Matt rinse his mouth before exiting the bathroom.

"Forget it." he said. "I'm going to bed."

"Fine. I'm going back to check on Near." he said.

* * *

Near's eyes twitched again as Mello sat next to his bed, eating a chocolate bar. "Come on, wake up Near." he said. "I miss my sheep."

"Mihael, visiting hours are up." Amelia said. "You have to come back tomorrow."

"Fine." Mello said, standing up. "Oh, and Amelia. You're a nurse right?"

"The last time I checked." she said as she changed Near's IV. "Why?"

"Just hypothetically. What does it mean if someone is having severe chest pains and is constantly puking?" he asked.

"I don't know." she said. "Blood work has to be done if that's going on, and even then it could be anything from pneumonia to cancer."

"Thanks." he said.

* * *

Near watched from a corner in the play room as the other kids played with toys. Absently playing with dice, and stacking them into towers.

_"Hello Near." _Mr. Whammy said. _"Are you having a good day?"_

Near nodded and continued to stack up the dice at his feet, twirling a piece of his hair between his fingers.

_"You know, you are allowed to make some friends." _he said. _"Some one to play with."_

_"I was judged and hit because of my appearance," _Near said. _"For me, friends are over rated. Besides, I already have some friends."_

Mr. Whammy stared in amazement as he walked out of the play room to meet up with Mello and Matt. _It appears he has. _he thought to himself.

* * *

**Stay tuned. R&R please**


	8. Chapter 8

**Next chapter, R&R.**

* * *

"Hey Amelia." Matt said gently, waking her up. "Come on, it's time to get up."

"What happened?" she asked.

"It's time to go home." he said. "Come on, I'll give you a ride."

"No. It's okay, I live in a hotel anyway." she yawned.

"I'm still giving you a ride." he said. He helped her up and walked her to his car, driving her back to the hotel she was staying at. "Wake up Amelia, we're here." he said.

Amelia yawned and tried to stay awake as Matt helped her out of the car and into the hotel.

"Honestly, when's the last time you got any sleep?" he asked as he unlocked the door to her room and put her on the bed.

"Not since what happened to Nate." she yawned. "And I have to get back to work."

"They gave you a day off to get some sleep." he said. "Trust me, you need it."

"No, I have to go back." she said.

"Okay," he sighed. "But how about I stay with you, just for a few hours." He laid down beside her, and removed his shirt, having left his vest at his hotel; and pulled her close.

Amelia looked up at Matt and laid her head down on his chest, listening to his breathing and heartbeat. She had no idea that they fell asleep until she could hear and feel Matt coughing. "What's going on?" she asked.

"It's nothing." he choked.

"This is not nothing." she said. "Try to breathe." She laid her head on his back and listened to his breathing: his breathing was starting to become labored, and strained. It sounded like his chest was filling with fluid. "Okay, we're going back to the hospital." she said.

* * *

"You're lucky to have gotten him to us." the doctor said as another nurse drained the fluid from Matt's lungs. "I'm surprised he's still standing."

"But he will be okay right?" Amelia asked as she wrapped her stethoscope around her neck. "Because my brother's almost about to die. I don't want to lose him."

"He'll be fine." the nurse said. "But we will have to run a few tests on him."

"Sure." Amelia said. "That's fine."

* * *

Near's eyes twitched again before he woke up, looking around his hospital room as he felt the tube in his throat and tried to take it out.

"Oh, you're awake." a doctor said. "Welcome back." he took Near's hand away from the tube and helped him with it. "How are you feeling."

Near coughed and swallowed, realizing how dry his throat was. "Thirsty," he said in a hoarse voice.

"I'll get you some ice chips." the doctor said. "And I'll send in your brothers."

Mello and L appeared a few minutes later, and Mello had Near wrapped up in a bear hug. "This doesn't mean I like you." he said. "You just had us all worried."

"Welcome back Near." L said smiling.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked as the doctor came in with the ice chips.

"Don't you remember?" Mello asked, releasing Near from the hug.

"No." he said as he took a spoonful of the ice chips. "Not a thing."

"We were in a car accident. You were in a coma for the last two months." he said.

"Whoa," Near said as he took another spoonful of ice chips, "Really?"

"Yeah." Mello said.

Near didn't speak and swallowed the ice chips in his mouth as Matt and Amelia showed up

"Near!" Matt exclaimed. He ran to Near and wrapped him up in the same hug as Mello as Near took off his goggles.

"Hey Matt." Near said. "You're kinda crushing me."

Matt released Near from his grip and let Amelia hug him.

Near looked at the others from over Amelia's shoulder and felt a tear roll down his face. "Omi." he sobbed, wrapping his arms around her neck. "I've missed you so much."

"Me too Nate." she whispered.

* * *

Matt watched from the hallway as Near and his sister caught up with each other before feeling a tap on his shoulder.

"Mr. Jeevas." the doctor said. "We have your test results back."

"Oh, okay." he said. "What's up?"

"I'm not sure how to say this, but Mr. Jeevas...you have cancer."

* * *

**Oh...um...R&R please.**


	9. Chapter 9

**What? You didn't think I'd end the story with a cliffhanger, did you? *laughs nervously* R&R.**

* * *

"What?" Matt asked.

The doctor opened the manilla folder in his hand, and showed Matt his charts. "As you can see here," he said. "The cancer originted in your lungs, and is starting to grow on your liver, and quite possibly your heart. But we'll get you started on chemotherapy, and just pray for the best."

"Y-Yeah." he said, looking back a Near and Amelia. "I'll do that."

* * *

"Matt, I don't understand." Mello said as he followed hs friend into a room. "What's going on?"

"Just shut up and keep watch." Matt snapped as he opened a file cabinet labled with the letters J-K on it, and started searching for his file.

"Are you looking for your file?" Mello asked.

"Please just keep watch." Matt said. He put his flash light in his mouth and continued to search until he found his file, and then searched for Mello's, and then Near's. "Okay, let's go." he stuffed the files into a duffel bag and followed Mello out of the room, locking the door behind them.

"I ask again: what was that about?" Mello asked.

"If you really want to know, there are some things that I want to keep secret." Matt snapped. "So just drop it already Mello." He stormed into his car, and waited for Mello. They had told Near that they would meet with him in Japan with L after he was through with his physical therapy.

"Okay, if you don't want to tell me why you needed our medical files. At least tell me why we're not bringing Amelia." Mello said.

"Because, Amelia will meet with us in Japan with Near." Matt said as he started the car. "Now let's go." He drove off as Mello looked out the window.

* * *

**Wow...I said I wasn't ending this story with a cliffhanger. But I think I just did. *Sighs* Just R&R please**


End file.
